Spicy
by The Nevermore Raven
Summary: Wandering the hinterlands of Johto, a lucario named Fluff encounters a wounded vulpix. Flames and a scuffle ensue.


**Spicy**  
By: The Nevermore Raven

Recently, I've met a new face that reminds me in many ways of someone else I hold so near and dear. Given that the thought of seeing someone so familiar to me in a total stranger didn't make sense at all. At first it seemed irrational, but now that I've given it more thought in a quiet environment where I could gather my thoughts correctly, it only became obvious why a little pokemon reminds me so strongly of another little pokemon.

First and foremost both of them are _vulpix_, adorable little foxes with adorable little feet that boast up to six adorable, fluffy, curling orange tails, adorable little pointy reddish ears and heart-melting, large, soft eyes the color of milk-chocolate beneath an adorable tuft of red-orange curls. You may already know the fox that is so near and dear to me, Amber, but I can be certain you aren't familiar with the fox who reminds me of her. As such, I will tell you more about this new face that has drifted onto the scene.

The ultimate reason for encountering both of these pokemon, both the new and the familiar, is curiosity for the world around me. I am an explorer at heart. In the name of exploration that I reached the high, rugged peaks at the west of my home and discovered a frightened Amber those years ago and defended her from a gravelerthat had decided to pick on her. That encounter placed her in my life, and developed into an encounter and growing relationship with her family and then into an initially shaky peace with her tribe, the _Goldflames._ The _Goldflames_, a neighboring tribe of magnificent kitsune who had been our worst foe for two centuries and reside east of the Lake of Rage, are involved in conflicts that are the subject of _Whitecloud_ lore and legend. Our tribe Elder, Laurel, remembers direct accounts from her grandmother about the start of the whole feud so long ago.

From the first encounter with my precious Amber, to the events leading up to encountering her family and developing a bond with them, to finally having the majority of the _Goldflames_ form an alliance with us amidst the division from their own who were unable to drop the old conflict, a beautiful harmony between ivory jackal and golden fox has taken leaf and reaches to the sky in its lush splendor. It is indeed alive, as it continues daily to reach ever higher and wax with strength with no end in sight.

Due to a new generation that sought to depart from the aging, burdensome conflict that had entrenched our ancestors against one another-sometimes to the death-it was possible to move on and allow the deep wounds to finally heal over properly. There is an embittered minority of the more experienced individuals who sought to continue the conflict, only to be met with sharp criticism and ostracization in response. Although it had an unsteady start, the peace between the two tribes grew with time. By now, the thought of the old conflict is all but forgotten, and the initiative to revive it is regarded as lunacy.

**II**

"Why won't you fight me?" That is the most distinctive question Pepper bombarded me with in addition to several ramming attacks and even a few flames in attempt to subdue me. Pepper is an aggressive little fellow; from the get-go he only wanted to battle when we first met! Such a strange encounter distinguished him in my heart from day one, and he would only do so in greater degrees as I got to know him as time progressed onward.

In the name of exploration I met Pepper. Our encounter took place near the beginning of winter. As such, all of the _Whiteclouds_ sport the trademark winter coats of ivory fur that allowed us to adapt to the frigid climate of our homeland to the north of our current home. I ventured to the southwest, in the rolling foothills of the high and rocky ridge that borders the western edge of Johto. The area remained sparsely populated by humans and quite underdeveloped, having a busy road that reached from Johto's oldest city to a port city and the coastline an hour due south.

The extra perception granted in _Aura_ gave me the capabilities to locate other pokemon and wildlife with ease at a great range, greatly aiding in my efforts to remain unnoticed, even by other lucario. An encounter with other lucario may lead to conflict or suspicion, given how territorial we lucario may be. Avoidance was the best practice in my exploration. The winter weather dressed the ground and trees with a dusting of near-continuous powdery snow the previous night, but it wasn't a problem for me. Where the _Whiteclouds_ were born, atop the highest peaks, cold and ice are quite familiar to us. The sky revealed only a few wispy clouds in its vast expanse of blue, framing the bright light of the sun. I knew that my hindpaws had left tracks in the snow, but I didn't want to bother with sweeping them over to erase the imprints off the cold sheets of white as it would slow me down and reduce my range to discover the landscape. I could run far in my days as a riolu, but now I had evolved I could trek even farther, having my range and speed double almost instantly, and my accuracy and perception in _Aura _to explode. Such an empowering feeling! It seemed that I could trek outside of Johto if I desired, and the thought of it proved tempting. I may trek farther west in the future, to find what lies beyond the rocky, windy ridges of high mountain that borders the region. An ocean? Another region? Possibilities abound.

The temperature hovered well below freezing, yet at its best it could but nip the tips of my ears and my nose when the wind picked up, although my feet were a bit cold from the snowy path I had used to venture farther southwest than I had ever gone before. The familiar birds of the summertime, the robin, the bunting, the tanager, the goldfinch, and an array of others, and their similarly colorful neighbors the butterflies, migrated south months earlier, along with their pokemon counterparts, familiar to all of Johto's residents, pidgey and spearrow. Even then, other pokemon and wildlife remained throughout the winter. Cardinals, mockingbirds, chickadees, titmice, crows, hawks and owls all remained in the forest and fields year round, along with coyotes, black bear, raccoons, and the occasional wolf.

Wildlife generally acted wary and kept its distance form me on the occasions I encountered it, although the birds did so to a lesser degree. Having crossed the last wooded hill of the day in mid-afternoon, I turned around at the edge of a field to begin the journey home when it caught my attention that I heard the faint whimper of what sounded like a pup. Was I hearing things? Was that just the winter's breeze? My ears swiveled to determine the direction of the distressed creature as _Aura_ tassels rose to locate the exact whereabouts. My breath puffed out of my nostrils in small, twin clouds of moisture, drifting and tangling in the wind of the countryside before fading into thin air.

There it is. So I wasn't hearing things. I approached the faint cry of the creature as it became more clear to me, and I recognized it long before reaching the source. It was a fox. In particular, a little vulpix. Aww... The realization tugged at my heart as I approached it. Where was its family? Where was its mother? A yelp sounded weakly, and there caught beneath a large fallen branch, the young pup tried its best to break free from the fallen limb's weight that had pinned its tail down, to no avail. Aww... Poor thing...

As it yelped again, supposedly to its mother for help, a burst of warm moisture escaped its mouth to fade into the cold winter air. How should I greet it? I guessed that it would be frightened by me, a total stranger encountering it in the deep woods all by itself. I was right. "Ahhh! A stranger! Shoo! Go away!" The voice of the creature exuded fear with a youthful note.

My ruby eyes locked with the orbs of chocolate shimmering with tears, even as the moisture trails froze to the poor little guy's face. With that pitiful sight, I couldn't bear not to answer such a helpless fox. I noted that his suspicion stood chance of making this rescue difficult. I wasn't afar off with that suggestion. "I'm not here to hurt you. I heard you and thought you needed help," I replied softly as I could, given my deep voice.

"I do, but..."

"But what?"

The fox hesitated. With a peek at the kit's underside I identified the fox as male. I've been told throughout my life that I'm soft, by my parents, my brother, my girlfriend, and the other pokemon I had spent my time with in the past. It turns out that I was soft inside as well as out. Said softness even led to my namesake.

I didn't know where the kid's mother was. I didn't know how long he had been stuck here, be it only a few minutes or a few hours. Judging buy his level of awareness, it couldn't have been much more than that. Although he was an honest fire type, being a fire type doesn't make you immune to winter's worst. Especially with wind and wet involved in a team with the cold. All three together could spell disaster. I didn't know if other pokemon had heard him and left him ignored. But I did know that I was there, and that I could help him.

"I don't know you."

His honesty and simplicity pleased me. He was an older kid, an adolescent that had at most a year to go before reaching adulthood, judging by the five tails he possessed. And I found him to be very cute, although I kept the thought embarrassedly to myself.

"I don't know you, either, but I'm here to help anyway. My name is Fluff."

In spite of the tears that had stained his face, the faintest of smiles teased his lips as my name reached his ears.

"Fluff?"

"Yes. Fluff."

The fox took a nervous step or two, crunching the thin layer of snow and decaying leaves.

The next question I threw at him was the most natural one to ask.

"Where are your parents?"

The vulpix hesitated to answer, arousing my suspicion. His aura carried the weight of fear with it. What was the matter? Why must he hesitate so? He clearly lacks any trust in me. Considering we had only met that very minute, I can't blame him. What must I look like to him? A larger-than-average, white lucario that would by default already stand more than head and shoulders above the fox to begin with. A fox that was trapped. I had reservations about the circumstances, but brushed them aside. The fox needed help, regardless.

"Uh, I..."

"...What?"

"...I don't have any parents. I'm alone."

A pair of ruby eyes darkened at the revelation. No parents. I repeated the answer in my mind gloomily. No parents? Even as I questioned the sincerity of his answer, it occurred to me that he had been honest. He's an orphan. Poor little fox...

"Oh... I see. Do you have any guardians?"

The fox arched a brow over his deep brown eyes. "Guardians?"

"Guardians are adults that take care of you if you don't have parents."

The fox's visage contorted once I defined the word for him. That would be a no.

"Oh..."

The silence answered the question for me. Hackles raised on his back, causing the reddish fur to bristle. His trace of fear must have intensified, judging by that nervous reaction. I stepped closer to the pup, in order to lift the branch off his tail. It was then that he surprised me. A hot spark of orange light leapt from his mouth, so suddenly that I hardly had time to shield my face with forearms from the attack. My voice raised a notch as the burn singed my coat. Thankfully, it didn't light my arms! That would really be bad!

"Augh! Why'd you do that? Cut it out!"

"Go away!"

"I'm not leaving you! You need help!" What's gotten into this kid!? I peeked between my arms hesitantly, all too aware of his aggression. Since he burned me, he obviously had entered "Fight or Flight" mode, and since he'd been pinned, flight wasn't an option. So he burned me. A second ember leapt at me, so I blocked the attack a second time.

"Ouch! Stop it!" The second one reached my undercoat, and the reek of burning fur drifted to my nose as smoke rose from the attack. I've got to do something! With a burst of my newfound speed, I used a nimble maneuver to strafe the frightened fox. My relocation behind him didn't bode well, as I suspected. He visibly jumped as his eyes darted around to find me right behind him.

"Ahhh! Get away!" In the midst of grasping the branch to lift it and relieve him of the weight, a sharp pain erupting from my wrist sabotaged my effort. I cringed and gritted my teeth, realizing an instant later that fox bit me! I nearly dropped the branch back on his tail, although he managed to pull out from beneath its influence. Amber will doubtless have a fit when she sees me like this.

"Ow!" The fox wriggled free from the branch as I dropped it with haste, in order to nurse my injured paw. Even as I tried to examine the damage the fox rammed me, knocking me on my back. The drop onto cold snow winded me as the sound of shuffling feet reached my ears. "Augh!"

The sound grew softer as the fox scampered away, leaving me to stare vacantly at the clear sky above. Without thinking, I cried out after him after regaining my breath. "Wait! Fox! I wanna help you!"

"Go away!" Something sounded off with his running as it slowed down. Just what was it? There it was again. I heard one... two... three steps... followed by a fourth one finished weakly. As if...

"You're limping!"

"Go away!"

I sat up, straining my abdomen to right myself in order to stand. The fox had taken the route up the hill into the cover of shrubbery. I cried after him one last time. In spite of the rather subpar treatment of his rescuer, I realized that I had feelings for him. I didn't want him to leave. Injured and alone? In the forest? In winter? He could... he could die.

"You won't make it alone with an injury out here! I wanted to help you!" Once he rejected my final appeal, a frustrated sigh expelled past my lips as a miniature, short-lived cloud. My bottom protested, sore from his tackle, my wrist throbbed in an ache from his bite, and I realized that my fur still smoldered from his fire attacks. I pressed them onto the snow to extinguish the combustion and soothe the pain. Lifting my paws revealed an impression in the snow dusted with grey ash and a hint of pink... Pink? His bite even managed to draw blood? What a day!

With that I stood up in defeat, deciding to scan my surroundings for the whereabouts of the fox. He hadn't gotten that far. No way a vulpix could outrun a lucario, even in good health. He did a number on me though, having attacked me four times. He's a feisty one! I sighed one last time in resignation before turning to face northeast and return home. I've got to get this wound checked so it can avoid infection.

**III**

Step by step, little by little, I headed for home on a low note. The crunch of soft, cold snow on grass gave way to the crunching snow of leaves and twigs, each one giving numbed sensations to my chilled feet. The wrist bite throbbed constantly with irritation, incessantly as the once powerless cold made its way past my overcoat of long, white fur to the singed undercoat beneath the forearms, the absence of fur granting it a foot in the door.

I shook my head again. The surroundings of towering trees calmed me. I felt as if they watched over me, even when they held no leaves in the winter's chill. The constant crunch of snow underfoot served to soothe my rattled nerves for the next half-hour. Step by step, I crossed valleys, hills, creeks, fields, forests, and the occasional road or fence. The scenery served to pull my mind from the little fox to great effect. That saying goes "stop to smell the roses." For me, it's a way of life. I rarely if ever am in a hurry, rather taking time to observe the surroundings as permitted. As I stepped right by the slick grey trunk of a beech tree, I paused to give it a friendly pat and stoke its slick, cold surface. Beech trees are so graceful...

The weather acted up, sending a stronger breeze through the trees, beckoning me to look up and search the sky. A band of dark clouds drifted towards me from the east. It looked like more snow aimed to meet me by sundown. I have to hurry and get home. The sun's descending now, and it's already low in the sky given the season. My hike resumed in earnest.

Ten minutes later the faint tapping of sleet met my ears accompanied by a strengthening wind chill. Tree branches knocked and groaned in the wind, emphasizing that I had to hurry getting home. I sighed. That feisty vulpix won't have a chance in this weather, not without a good shelter. This is only the start of winter, and I fear he won't make it alone. But I know he didn't want to trust me. Did he have any friends? Did he even have any accomplices? This weather looks bad for me, but it looks worse for that fox.

"Aww... Poor little fox. The weather will be rough on him." As I stood there musing to myself, the sharp snapping of a twig in silence alerted me to the presence of someone else. Ears perked in reflex. Rattatas! It wasn't unheard of me to get distracted by other things and drop my guard. Case in point. Who's out there? Even before I turned to _Aura_ for an answer, the stranger answered my question for me.

"Hi, Fluff."

What? What!? Ruby eyes blinked in disbelief. That voice! Is that...

"You followed me." With a turn of my head, there he stood. No. Correction, there he _sat_ on an injured back foot. The paw appeared bloated, swelling from the injury he received earlier. I bet it was the branch that held the blame, because he was limping right after I set his ungrateful flame-throwing butt free. We stood there in silence for a moment in the worsening weather. More beads of ice rained down as the wind gained strength. It was then that the fox gave me the most distinctive inquiry that day.

"Why won't you fight me?" The question made me flinch. At a loss on finding an answer, I turned the question back on him.

"Why should I fight you?"

The fox paused, drops of ice from the incoming storm bounced off his ears, making him look as if he'd been dressed in beads of glass. A gust whipped around us, rustling his red tails.

"I attacked you. I attacked you a lot. So why aren't you fighting back or running away?"

Oh... I see. I reached up to scratch a white ear with my paw.

"For one, you're already hurt. Two, you attacked me to escape. And three..." I drifted off-track in the middle of my list.

"And three?" The fox coaxed me on, drawing my attention to his appearance. His pointy ears... Those soft brown eyes... That little nose... Those fluffy tails... That's why. That's why I won't fight him. I'd just as well admit that.

"You're too cute."

The fox's nose twitched and he acted flustered as a blush caused his rusty cheeks to light up in pink. That only succeeded in making him even cuter! The fox trembled faintly as another gust blasted us with the winter's chill. The wet and wind is an ugly combination to endure for nearly anyone in this cold, doubly so for such an endearing little fox.

"What's your name, vulpix?" I tried to start a conversation, to break the ice.

"...I d-don't h-h-have a n-name," the fox looked away from me in shame. No name? He really doesn't have anything. That realization caused me to make a commitment to a complete stranger. I'll give him a name. And a home. And a life. ...Watching the fox grimace in his fit of shivering, I thought I'd best start with a hug. Without thinking twice, I bent down over the petite vulpine in front of me to scoop him into my arms. A damp mass of fur shivered in my grasp, causing compassion to build inside of me so I squeezed him against my fuzzy heart. The little fox gasped in surprise. By the time he asked me what I was doing, I already began walking home once more, at a faster pace. My arms shielded the pup from the worst of the sleet and wind.

"W-w-what are you d-d-doing?"

"Carrying you. You're hurt with a limp, and you're shivering. And we gotta hurry home. Let's go." The fox blushed, tugging at my heart yet again. "Don't worry, little fox. I don't mind carrying you at all." I felt elated with the trembling puppy in my embrace. I'll care for this fox, I grinned to myself. In spite of the cold weather, my heart had filled with warmth! I cradled him in my arms, pressing him into my chest in an attempt to warm him. The fox, at first rigid with tension and cold, eventually stopped resisting my embrace and reluctantly curled into my pelt to savor the warmth. His shivering ceased soon after. The simple gesture easily melted my heart, so I squeezed him again in affection.

"Then I'll give you a name."

The fox lifted his chocolate eyes, locking them on mine. "You w-will?"

"Yes. I'll give you a name, and a home, and lots of love! Your name... is Pepper." A perfect name for him! He's _spicy_! At hearing the word "love," the fox blushed yet again. The sight made a thought drift through my mind. Why is he so darned cute?

_The End_


End file.
